Thune to skip White House AI meeting with Trump, Johnson, and

John Thune has a busy calendar, no doubt. But pulling down the Senate Majority Leader from a White House meeting with President Trump, Speaker Johnson, and the CEOs of America’s biggest AI companies is a choice. Every meeting like this is about who gets to shape the rules of the road. Thune opting out means the Senate’s top Republican won’t have a seat when the future of artificial intelligence is being argued over by the people who write the checks and the people who write the laws. That's an empty seat at a history-making table.

To be fair, Thune might be exactly where he needs to be on Tuesday. The Senate has its own messes, and Majority Leaders don't have the luxury of picking their calendar. But this is artificial intelligence. It’s not a photo op with a friendly tech executive; it’s the foundation of everything from national security to the next decade of American jobs. If the administration is moving forward with an America First approach to AI, you’d think the Senate would want its fingerprints on the result. The alternative is simply letting the White House and the giants of Silicon Valley split the difference without the legislative branch having a say.

Trump, Johnson, and the tech crowd can make a lot happen without Thune. That’s the point. The AI future is being sorted out in real time, and if the Senate Majority Leader is a no-show, the message is clear: Congress will react later instead of leading now. Maybe Thune’s staff has everything covered. But perception matters. Skipping this one makes the Senate look like a spectator in a conversation that’s going to define American power for decades. We hope Thune knows what he’s doing. Because when the bill comes down the pike, the body he leads will have to pass it, and it’s easier to shape policy when you’re in the room while it's made.